How to Make a Great Window, Glass & Household Cleaner for under a Buck!

Updated on May 19, 2012

Here's a great window cleaner--but not cheap.

You can make a very inexpensive eyeglass cleaner that's better than the ones sold by eyecare stores & chain retailers.

Make your own Cleaner that's better than the Supermaket Products

In just a few minutes, for almost no money, you can make a better window cleaner and eyeglass cleaner than most of the products on the market. Many of the window cleaners are ammonia based. Most of the eyeglass cleaners sold by the big chain stores and optical stores are blends of water and alcohol.

Here's a great idea. Take the ammonia and the alcohol and put them together! That pretty much sums up the whole formula for this fabulous new cleaner that you can make in just a few minutes. You can put it into old Windex bottles for your window washing. You can fill up your old 2, 4, or 8 ounce spray bottles and use it for your eyeglasses.

You can call it Kleen-all and you can even put your own labels on and sell it yourself. You can name it any name you want. If you make your own labels, be sure to note that your product contains ammonia.

Here's the complete formula:

1 ounce regular or sudsy ammonia

4 ounces of rubbing alcohol - sold at all supermarkets & pharmacies

1/4 teaspoon Joy or similar dishwashing liquid

1 quart of regular tap water

15 or 20 drops of food coloring-any color you like

CAUTION - DO NOT BREATHE THE AMMONIA OR GET YOUR FACE TOO CLOSE TO IT.

Mix ingredients 1 thru 4 together and then add the food coloring a few drops at a time until you arrive at a shade that is pleasing to you.

The cleaner does a fabulous job on windows, with no streaking or smearing. It's also highly effective on mirrors and sliding glass doors. The last time I bought ammonia it was $1.50 for two quarts and the alcohol was 99 cents. Since you probably already have the Joy and the food coloring, this project will probably only set you back $2.50 and you will have about a year's supply.

Now lets talk about cleaning your glasses and this is something I know a little about because my job is cleaning eyeglasses and selling an 'all natural' cleaner.

First thing....don't use wood to clean your glasses. Products that are mostly wood include those coffee filters you hear some people talking about. They are made of wood..don't use them.

Also don't use facial tissue...they are wood! Don't use most paper towels for the same reason. You can use VIVA and you can use Bounty. Both are more closely related to your tee shirts than they are to the woodchips from which those coffee filters and facial tissues are made.

Comments 5 comments

I read your article on starting a window cleaning business and now that I have read how to make the cleaner...I am ready to go. Great Hubs. Thanks

Jan Espinosa 6 years ago

I haven't used your formula yet, but definitely intend to. I have always used vinegar & water before, but this year the outdoor windows have grime & whatever else the great outdoors had to offer, & the that solution just isn't working - leaves streaks that that even my husband can't wipe off.

Our weather has been just perfect for washing windows & we want to get this done.

He is on the way to the store for one of the products in your recipe that I don't have.

Thank You for a very simple recipe & looking forward to free streak windows. Jan

Billrrrr 5 years ago from Cape Cod Author

Jan, Thanks for reading the Hub and for trying the cleaner.

Kathryn Stratford 3 years ago from Manchester, Connecticut

This is a handy recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Billrrrr 3 years ago from Cape Cod Author

Thanks for reading and commenting Kathryn. Home made cleaners that work and save both time and money are always a good idea.